Legalization of Marijuana Two of every five Americans - say "the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: it should regulate, control it, tax it, and only make it illegal for children." according to a 2003 zogby poll (Nadelmann). Since the discovery of Marijuana, there has been a strong debate wether or not the drug should be legal. Those who oppose marijuana often say, "Marijuana is bad for you." or, "Marijuana is a gate-way drug." But according to many studies done by scientists and many public health organizations, marijuana isn't as harmful as the federal government and many Americans claim it to be. Marijuana is actually far safer than alcohol, tobacco and multiple illicit substances. There are also …show more content…
"No other law is both enforced so widely and harshly and yet deemed unnecessary by such a substantial portion of the populace." (Nadelmann). Every year police make about 700,000 arrests for marijuana offenses. That's almost the same number of arrests per year for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and all other illicit drugs combined. Almost 600,000 of those arrests are for more than possession of small amounts. Millions of Americans have never been arrested or convicted of any criminal offense except this. (Nadelmann). Not only do charges for small amounts of marijuana stay on your record forever, but it makes life in general very difficult. Instead of Police spending their time on such a small matter such as this, they should be spending their time on more serious issues. "The budgetary impacts of Marijuana legalization. are not trivial. A savings of $7.7 billion per year in resources is substantial." (Miron). The legalization of Marijuana would bring many economic benefits such as, revenues increasing without taxes …show more content…
Marijuana has been proven to safely treat several medical conditions such as migraines, chronic pain, Glaucoma, carcinogenic effects of tobacco and improve lung health, seizures, and anxiety. Medical researchers have also concluded that cannabinoids can be helpful in treating pain associated with chemotherapy, postoperative recovery, and spinal cord injury, as well as neuropathic pain, which is often experienced by patients with metasitic cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. And while many medical patients found marijuana to be a solution to their misery. A 17 - year old boy named, Simon Johnson who has a disease called, Chrons disease; a disease which causes nausea and vomiting. He also found marijuana to be an escape from his symptoms. While Simon was still in the hospital he found out that some cancer patients smoke marijuana to relieve them from their pain. Simon soon began to smoke marijuana behind his parents back, afraid of his parents finding out and taking the one thing that relieves him from his pain. He finally got caught at school and immediately got expelled, like he expected, his parents went hay-wire. Soon Simon confessed about how the marijuana has helped reduced his pain. His mother, Cheryl Johnson says, "we changed our minds once we saw that the marijuana really helped to control his nausea and vomiting. And Simon didn't have to
This subject has been debated numerous times over the past few years. People’s points of view and researches about the topic have varied greatly. Some people believe that marijuana should be legalized, while the rest feel should stay prohibited. Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of teens and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.
There are many people who argue that marijuana should be legal for medical purposes. In fact, a growing number of states have legalized marijuana for medical use. Marijuana contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main ingredient in marijuana that makes people ‘high’, that may help treat a range of illnesses and symptoms such as increasing one’s appetite and reducing nausea. It can also decrease pain, inflammation, and muscle control problems (Abuse, National Institute on Drug). Furthermore, the chemical cannabidiol (CBD), another ingredient in marijuana, but it does not get people ‘high’, could potentially help reduce pain and inflammation, control epileptic seizures, and possibly treat mental illness and
There are thirty million Americans that have smoked marijuana in the past year. Sixty eight percent of Americans live in states that are working are trying to reform their laws (2016 Marijuana Policy Reform Legislation). Legalizing marijuana is becoming the number one phenome in America. There are multiple reasons on why it should be legalized but with all the pros comes the cons. By legalizing marijuana America can provide more jobs, and lower the crime rate tremendously.
The Colorado Springs Business Journal reports that Colorado made 60 million dollars for the state in combined savings and additional tax revenue. This is just another example to show that marijuana has a great track record in helping the state and local economy. The Huffington Post also states that “TIMES reports say that marijuana growers account for 14 billion dollars a year in sales in California, making it the state’s most valuable cash crop”. If
Final There has been a big controversy over legalizing and the regulation of marijuana in the Unite States. On June 23, 2011 DC lawmakers passed a bill to Congress to officially legalize the use of marijuana across the US. Nearly eight hundred thousand arrests are made on a yearly basis due to marijuana charges. Marijuana is the most abused drug in the United States. There are many claims that marijuana can be used medically and help patients with certain disorders and symptoms.
In one study by “The Huffington Post”, marijuana was compared to drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and marijuana was found to be the least deadly by far. One reason for the harsh restrictions on marijuana is it hasn’t been as closely monitored and tested like
When drinking alcohol or even smoking pot, they can both take huge roles in showing both short and long term health effect(s). But alcohol has been reported to about almost 100,000 deaths per year according to a recent report made by the CDC while those associated with marijuana are harder to come by and connected to 0 reported deaths in total. The official publication of the scientific research society, American Scientist, reported that “Alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect, could lead to death Marijuana is one of- if not the—least toxic recreational drug(s) requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to certain death. This “thousands of times” is actually theoretical since there has never been a case of an individual dying from an overdose of marijuana.”
Since the beginning of 2015, marijuana is becoming the fastest growing industry in the United States. People worldwide are becoming more open minded about marijuana and its uses. It’s also generating millions in dollars for states that have legalized and regulated it. Despite its pros to being legalized nationally, many people oppose it. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 44% of Americans who think marijuana should be illegal say they feel that marijuana hurts society and is bad for individuals as a whole.
• Why legalize another dangerous substance, marijuana is a schedule I that falls right along with heroin and LSD. RESPONSE TO COUNTER-ARGUMENT 2 Although, many people like to believe that alcohol and tobacco are safer than marijuana, studies have shown that it is the opposite. There is a third of tobacco smokers, and fifty percent of drinkers who become addicted, greatly more than the nine percent that become addicted to marijuana. • There are many studies that prove Marijuana can help different illnesses and it does not appear to pose a risk for healthy adults, nor it has shown to be linked to any serious disease, the way tobacco has with cancer or alcohol to
Marijuana has been vilified in America over the past 70+ years. Despite its many practical uses, the U.S government continues to maintain the status quo that marijuana is a critical dispute. It is a highly controversial issue in today’s society and is now at the leading edge, both culturally and medically in American Society. Today, the U.S government is in an ongoing battle of the legalization of marijuana for medical and now, for personal use. We the people of the United States attempt to use reason and logic in order to determine our laws.
Marijuana has been tested and highly theorized to provide positive impacts on American society, these benefits include the economic boosts and a refocused police force. All of these reasons could potentially help America benefit in the
For example, marijuana works in the central nervous system to help relieve pain. The National Health Society states how marijuana can cause a direct benefit effect on pain signals in the central nervous system (Gerber 7). For many people they will do anything just to get rid of pain. But marijuana can be seen as a quick and easy pain reliever. This is important because it can be life changing for people suffering with things like arthritis or chronic pain, all while being a non-addictive substance.
Legalizing marijuana would drastically reduce the number of crimes, stabilize the number of deaths, and create a more united medical society. In United States, on an average, every 52 seconds, a person is arrested for the possession of marijuana. As a result, more than 7 million people were booked across the country, in 2015. Moderately, the country pays 750 dollars per arrest, 20 billion
This drug has been used as a safe pain and sleeping aid. Kids that suffer from epilepsy and seizures have had fewer and some have none now after using this drug. Old people who suffer from depression when losing their loved one have had success with this drug, even stating that it helps treat their arthritis. Patients with HIV/AIDS have used marijuana to help their loss of appetite; the amount of success never ends with this drug. Medical marijuana is popular with helping cancer patients.
One of the most common political debates of recent years that should not be talked about as much as it is, is the issue of the legalization of marijuana. This issue has come up so much recently because many people believe that it should be legal after the discovery that it has medical uses. As of November of 2014, marijuana used for medicinal purposes has been legalized in eighteen states and D.C., while it has been legalized for medical and recreational use in four states (Fritz). Just over half of the United States have not yet passed a law that makes marijuana legal in any way. However, the federal government still views marijuana use/possession as a federal offense.